Chapter Sixty-Four: I Believe
The next week went by quickly. Between training and hanging out with Katsuki, Aisla's days were jam packed with events. Not that she was complaining; she loved every minute of it, especially the moments she shared with Katsuki. So far, he'd been making an incredible effort to spend time with her not only in an exclusive setting, but with their friends as well. She could even see him having fun, despite the fact that he normally hated being around their classmates. He didn't hesitate to hold her hand in public, and when she'd stretch onto her toes for a quick kiss, he would immediately oblige her. He kept the connection brief, but it still made her happy that he was willing to do it at all in front of their friends.
They only had two more days left for their trip, so tonight they were being thrown a huge celebration for both hero course classes as a reward for every student passing their end of term exams. Aisla was excited, but secretly hoped this party ended better than their last one had. For Valentine's Day, Kirishima almost burned down the dorms trying to make cookies for his girlfriend, and their party ended early. Admittedly, it had worked out in Aisla's favor so it wasn't such a bad end to their fun evening.
Even so, she was hoping this party would last a little longer, and maybe end a little drier. After their little fire scare, they'd been forced to go stand outside in the rain for over an hour while they got control of the flames and cleaned up all the water. Afterward, they'd all been ordered to go back to their rooms, but Katsuki, in his rage-filled haze, had led her into his own room. He didn't even realize what he was doing while he paced around his room and ranted about Kirishima ruining the party. She remembered the way his muscles rippled when he removed his shirt and tossed it aside. She remembered the desire that sprang up inside of her, daring her to walk up to him and touch his bare skin with her lips. He'd come to his senses soon after that and gave her a dry shirt to change into.
"Miss Haru."
Aisla jerked at the sound of her name being called and instantly spun around to find its source. In her haste, she smacked into Tetsutetsu from class B and the force caused her to stumble right onto her back. Pain shot through her body and she whimpered in response.
Her teacher's tall frame appeared over her, expression hidden beneath his scarf, but not the pronounced sigh he let out as he leaned down and extended a hand to her. She took the proffered hand and he pulled her back up onto her feet.
"Why is it always you?" he grumbled under his breath. "You should pay more attention to your surroundings, Miss Haru. You're going to walk right off a cliff one day."
She couldn't help the amused smile that lifted her lips. Mr. Aizawa wasn't usually the humorous type, but she knew from their regular training sessions that he could crack a joke every now and then. However, most of his jokes held the same dry humor as this one, so sometimes it was hard to tell if he was trying to be funny or if he was actually being serious.
"Was that a joke?" she asked outright because she honestly wasn't sure.
His lips twitched as though fighting back a smile, but he ignored her question. "I wanted to discuss something with you. It's about your recent performances." Aisla tensed and waited for the chastisement. His expression relaxed. "Good work. Keep using that ultimate move of yours when you get the chance so you're able to have more control over it. I also want you to start coming up with some names for your moves. I know you don't like calling them out before you do them, but it will help you to keep a list of them on hand. I want you to have that done for me before we get back to school."
"Homework?" Aisla slumped.
"I could ask you to write a detailed report about each move, too?" he warned.
She straightened. "I'll write the list, sir!"
"I thought so." He grew thoughtful for a moment as Aisla anxiously twisted a strand of blonde between her fingers. "I have one more thing," he said as he pinned her with a dark gaze. "Don't touch my scarf again, Aisla."
She grinned but somehow managed to suppress the threatening giggle. "That was days ago!" she reminded him.
"And I'm still sore about it," he retorted. "Don't touch my stuff. If you want one so bad, I'll get you your own. Otherwise, don't touch mine."
"But you're proud of me for using it correctly, right?" she pressed, expression hopeful.
His eyes narrowed. "No."
He walked away after that, leaving a stunned Aisla behind in his angry wake. After a moment, she shook her head in amusement. Boys were the same no matter what age they were, she supposed.
After her weird encounter, Aisla skipped over to where the girls were all gathered together, chatting animatedly with one another about the upcoming party.
"Aisla!" Mina cooed when she came over. She wrapped her up in a hug, squeezing her tightly. "There's my cute little kitty! What were you and Mr. Aizawa talking about over there?"
Aisla shrugged. "Nothing. He just gave me some homework."
The girls let out a simultaneous groan.
"That's unfortunate," Ochaco said sympathetically.
"But Aisla," Mina whined as she draped an arm around her shoulders. "You have to promise to hang out with us tonight!"
Aisla felt her eyes widen slightly in surprise. "Why wouldn't I hang out with you? Don't we always do stuff like this together?"
"I think she's insinuating that you'll be with Bakugo," Toru stage-whispered, making Aisla's cheeks heat.
"You have been hanging all over him a lot lately," Mina said pointedly.
"That's because they're dating," Kyoka defended her.
"When did that happen?" Tsu wondered. "I noticed you two hanging out a lot during this trip, but I didn't see you together back at school."
"It was pretty recent," she replied evasively. She hadn't gotten into the details with her friends since she and Katsuki had officially decided to get back together, but that didn't mean she was trying to keep it a secret. She hadn't divulged many details about their breakup to them either, so they wouldn't appreciate the whole story anyway. She'd kept it short and sweet whenever one of them brought it up.
"I'm still rooting for RokiRu!" Mina declared proudly, voice loud enough to echo throughout the room.
Aisla glanced around the warehouse anxiously until her gaze landed on Shoto Todoroki, who was looking right at her with an obvious smirk like he knew exactly what the girls were talking about. Across the room, Katsuki leaned against a pillar and stared unabashedly at her with an unreadable expression. She turned away from both of them.
"I don't think Todoroki feels that way about me," Aisla lied, hoping the girls would just leave it at that so they could move on from this topic. She didn't like talking about herself, and she especially didn't like talking about her love life so casually.
All six girls let out a similar sound of disagreement.
"Giirrrrl," Mina drawled, "trust us, Roki looooves you, as in he'd die for you."
"He does watch you a lot," Momo agreed. "I'm not the best judge of that sort of thing, but even I can tell he has feelings for you."
Aisla sighed. Poor Roki, she thought with pity. She didn't want her friends thinking he had some crush on her. Aisla knew about his feelings, but she didn't think it was so obvious all of her friends would see it, too.
"Bakugo does, too," Ochaco remarked softly as her gaze followed Aisla's over to the staring blond.
Aisla smiled. "Yeah, he does."
"Aw, you're so adorable!" Mina squished her against her chest again, making Aisla cry out and push her off. "Let's all get ready together!" she suggested. "Who wants to volunteer their room?"
"What's wrong with your room?" Aisla asked as she smoothed her hair back into place.
"It's a mess!" she proclaimed without remorse.
"I have to shower," Aisla said apologetically, "and my bathroom is too small."
"My room is open," Momo offered. "I had my father call and upgrade my room to a suite before we arrived."
Of course you did, Aisla thought as she bit back a smile.
"Then it's settled!" Mina announced. "We're all getting ready in Momo's fancy room! Aisla, you have to join us after your shower! We won't be complete without our Aisla cat!"
Aisla giggled. "I'll see what I can—"
Aisla gave a start of surprise as hands settled on her waist from behind, then wrapped around her stomach to pull her against rock-hard abs. "Sorry," he murmured into her ear, then kissed her cheek. "I saw you staring at me."
Aisla flushed, then let out an embarrassed, "Oh."
He chuckled against her hair and pulled her tighter against him. "What are we talking about over here?"
"RokiRu!" Mina declared helpfully, then shot Katsuki a thumbs-up.
"Really?" he deadpanned.
"We were just talking about the party!" Aisla explained in a rush. "It wasn't weird!"
He chuckled, then whispered into her ear. "As long as you're still mine, they can say whatever they want."
She shuddered in response.
"Do you really love Aisla?" Mina asked out of nowhere. "Like love love her?"
"Mina!" Aisla hissed. She felt Katsuki stiffen against her but he didn't push away from her like she expected. She honestly wouldn't have even blamed him for running away this time. Even Aisla kind of wanted to disappear right now.
"Of course I—OW!" Suddenly, Katsuki was smacked upside the head, forcing him to release his hold on Aisla. He roared out a curse that got cut short when he recognized the abuser. He straightened and let out an irritated sound instead.
"Keep your hands to yourself, Bakugo," Mr. Aizawa snapped.
Katsuki sneered. "I WAS JUST HUGGING HER!"
"Physical contact should be kept to a ten second maximum," their teacher said darkly. "No PDA."
"So, it's okay if they, like, go hide in a conference room and makeout, right?" Mina asked seriously. "Or like, in an office? Or on the roof? Because those places aren't public!"
"Ashido," he warned.
"What about outside?" she pressed. "Does that count as being public if no one is around?"
"No displays of affection, period," he argued irritably. "You're too young to be dating, and you're supposed to be focusing on your schoolwork and hero work."
"But Mr. Aizawa!" Mina whined dramatically. "You can't really stop us from loving each other! Me and my RoRo are in love, Kirishima and Kanzashi, Aisla and—" Her gaze shifted to Bakugo, then over to Shoto, who was watching the exchange with amusement. "Uh, whoever! Point is, we're all finding love. Can you really tell us that's a bad thing? Haven't you ever been in love, Mr. Aizawa?"
They all looked up at him curiously, even Aisla who'd never had the courage to ask such a blatant question of her favorite hero. Though, she'd always been insanely curious. There had never been any reports of Eraser Head having a partner in the news. But that could have been simply because he kept his private life private.
Mr. Aizawa made a dismissive sound and turned away from them. "No PDA," he reiterated before stomping across the room to join Vlad.
"Poor guy, he must have had his heart broken," Ochaco observed sympathetically.
"It's because of those abs," Mina decided seriously. "He's hot."
Aisla choked on a laugh, earning a narrow-eyed look from Katsuki. She grinned in return and his gaze softened immediately. "I should go shower," Aisla said. "I need to wash off the sweat before this party. I don't want to smell like dirt and grime." Just thinking about it made her nose crinkle.
Katsuki chuckled and poked her nose. "You smell fine."
Aisla huffed indignantly. "That's not the same as saying I smell good!" she pointed out.
He grinned in response. "I think you always smell good."
"You kids go take your flirting upstairs," Mina scolded them with a light push in their backs. "Go on, you heard the man, no PDA!"
Aisla laughed and started for the door as a happy buzz settled around her. Katsuki held her hand as they took the elevator upstairs to Aisla's floor, then pressed a kiss to her lips. She gripped his shirt when he tried to pull away to make the kiss last a little longer and felt him sigh into her mouth.
"See you later, lover~" she purred.
He winked in return. "I'll pick you up at seven, my love."
Her heart fluttered as she stepped into the room and shut the door behind her.
Aisla took her time getting ready. She took an extra long shower, made sure to shave her legs and everywhere else too since they were having the party by the pool. She didn't really plan on swimming, but if the girls insisted, she might be persuaded to take a dip. She curled her hair, then tied her black ribbon into the back even though it didn't match the outfit. She didn't put any makeup on just in case she gave in and got in the water, but she did apply some lip gloss and smacked her lips together loudly before blowing a kiss to the mirror.
She stepped into the room and stood in front of the full-length mirror to take in the finished product. She wore a simple sky blue dress with a tight bodice and flowing double-layer skirt. It fell just above her knees and was held up by thin straps. She paired this with the same silver kitten heels from the other night and the charm bracelet Katsuki had given her. She did a spin in front of the mirror, giggled at her reflection, then deemed herself good to go.
She had ten minutes before Katsuki was supposed to pick her up, so she sat down to continue her drawing of the lake and towering sandcastle. She hadn't had much free time to work on it lately, so it was taking longer than it normally did for her to finish. That was fine; it gave her a project to work on in her spare time.
She hummed happily to herself as she added in more details to her sketch. Her bracelet clinked musically against the desk as she moved her left hand to position the paper, bringing a smile to her lips. Katsuki's gift was her new favorite accessory, even if it wasn't practical for training. She wore it around the hotel, and could probably get away with wearing it to class when they got back to school if she didn't mess with it too much. For tonight's event, however, a beautiful wrist accessory was the perfect addition to her ensemble!
At seven o'clock exactly, Aisla heard a knock on her hotel door. She quickly closed her sketchbook and pushed in the chair before smoothing out the dress and checking her reflection one more time. She pulled open the door and grinned widely at her boyfriend.
"Katsuki!" She threw her arms around his neck in a forced embrace, nearly knocking him over in the process. Her door slammed shut as they stumbled out into the hall.
Her feet left the ground as he lifted her in the air with a soft chuckle in her ear. "What did I do to deserve that greeting?" he asked.
"You remembered to pick me up!" she explained, then pressed her lips to his in a lingering kiss.
"Mmm." He hummed against her lips. "I'll pick you up every day, then."
She giggled as he placed her back on her feet, then took her hand and gave her a quick spin. "Lovely."
She placed a hand on his chest. "Handsome," she said seriously, then beamed up at him.
His lips curved upward. "Weirdo. Let's go before we're late and all the food is gone."
Aisla widened her eyes dramatically. "We can't let that happen! What if I starve?!"
He laughed and tugged her hand to force her to start walking. "Then come on, you're the one holding us up."
"Katsuki?" she said seriously as they walked.
"Yeah?"
"I just want you to know that I've noticed you making a huge effort with us lately," she told him. "I really appreciate you trying to overcome your own anxiety and insecurities to be with me in front of our friends. It makes me really happy."
She could see his expression twisting into something uncomfortable as it always did when she complimented him, but after a moment he forced his face to relax and offered her a genuine smile. "Thanks. If you're happy, then so am I."
"That's all it takes, huh?" she teased.
He rolled his eyes. "Just keep walking."
She hid another smile as they stepped into the elevator together, and Katsuki hit the button for the lobby floor. The doors closed, and Aisla hummed as she watched the numbers tick down from five. When it reached floor three, the elevator stopped and the doors opened. Kaminari and Mineta stepped inside and blatantly checked out Aisla as they stood next to her. Mineta had a thin line of drool seeping from the corner of his lip, and Kaminari was waggling his eyebrows suggestively at her. Katsuki pulled her behind him and offered up a sparking fist in their direction.
"Do you want to die tonight?" he asked darkly. The two pervs shook their heads vehemently and turned away from Aisla. She smirked in amusement and took Katsuki's hand in her own.
The elevator continued its descent, and Aisla used the time to covertly check out Katsuki's appearance since she'd been too overwhelmed with joy at seeing him again to do so earlier.
He wasn't overly formal tonight, which wasn't a surprise, but he'd definitely made an effort to dress up. He wore a pair of black jeans under a white button-up shirt, similar to the outfit he'd worn to her parent's house. He paired this with black sneakers and the ring Aisla had given him. She wondered if this outfit choice had been a statement of some kind or if he'd simply picked the nicest thing he owned and decided it would have to do. Either way, he looked sexy, and Aisla appreciated the way the fabric of his pants hugged his backside more than his normal ones did.
Finally, the doors opened into the lobby and they all stepped out. The party was being held outside by the pool, which had been set up with refreshments and a large stereo that played club music loud enough to disturb anyone within a five-mile radius. The area had been decked out in various lights that ranged from simple string lights to large pulsing orbs of technicolor. A disco ball hung precariously over the pool, and a makeshift dance floor had been set up off to one side, complete with multi-colored strobe lights.
Aisla took in the scene as her excitement grew. This was definitely a step up from their Valentine's Day party and maybe even their Christmas party. There weren't as many people as there were at the school-wide Christmas shindig, but between class A and class B, they had a pretty decent sized party going.
Aisla didn't know many of the class B students, but she'd worked with a few of them over the last week during training and had a better sense of who they were now. She still didn't like Monoma or Tokage, but at least the two of them left her alone for the most part, especially when she was with Katsuki. As for the rest, Aisla certainly hadn't made any friends from class B, but she didn't think their class hated hers as much as they used to.
Aisla allowed Katsuki to lead her over to where the refreshment tables started and held out a plate to her. She shook her head. "I'm not hungry yet, can we just hang out for a bit?" She batted her eyes pleadingly.
He rolled his own and put the plate down. "Fine, but it better not involve dancing again."
The reference to their Christmas dance brought a blush to her cheeks and a smile to her lips. "Aw, but you look so hot tonight!" Now her blush deepened so much she was pretty sure people on the moon could make it out.
Katsuki turned a raised brow her way. "Hot, huh? I thought I noticed you checking me out in the elevator." His tone held its usual smugness, but something about the way he averted his gaze and pulled at the back of his hair made her think he was pleased by this knowledge.
She leaned onto her toes to whisper into his ear. "I was checking you out," she admitted in her sultriest tone, "and you are the sexiest thing at this party in those tight jeans." She nipped at his ear, earning a shaky sigh in response.
He pushed her away after that and cleared his throat. "Whatever! Let's just go talk to someone or something."
They walked over to where Ochaco, Mina, Kirishima, Kaminari, and Kyoka all stood. Midoriya was also there talking with Ochaco, but turned and waved exuberantly at their approach.
"Kacchan, hi!" he exclaimed loudly. "Aisla, so good to see you again! You both look really nice tonight! N-not that you don't always look nice, but tonight you look even better!" His face took on some color. "I-I mean, not that you need to look better! You always look fine, great even! But back at school we—"
"SHUT THE HELL UP, YOU DAMN NERD!" Katuski bellowed, effectively cutting off the rant.
Midoriya jerked. "S-sorry, Kacchan! I was just trying to compliment you!"
"Don't try to get on my good side!" he snapped.
Aisla giggled beside him and he glanced down at her in surprise, then guilt as he realized what he'd done. He snapped his mouth shut and pouted, hand disappearing into jeans pockets as he kept his gaze pointedly on the rippling water.
"You look nice too, Midoriya!" Aisla offered, even though she thought the green hue of his jacket was a little much. Even so, his eyes grew wide as he stumbled out a string of appreciation.
"He's right, though," Ochaco agreed, cutting him off once more. "You do look extra cute tonight, Aisla!"
Aisla reached out and hugged her friend, squishing her frilly pink dress between them. "You're so cute, Ochaco!" she exclaimed. "I love your dress!"
"I love you both!" Mina cried as she wrapped her pink arms around both of them. "Let's have some fun, ladies!"
Aisla looked over her shoulder at Katsuki, who was regarding her with amusement and not the annoyance she'd expected. He gave her a nod, letting her know it was okay to go with her friends if she wanted. She skipped over to him, lifted onto her toes, and pressed her lips to his. The way his hand slid into her hair and his teeth pulled on her bottom lip made a hoarse moan escape her. Fortunately, it was much too loud out here for anyone to have heard. His gaze was dark when she broke the kiss, and the hand he'd slipped into her hair clung there for a moment longer as if unwilling to let her go.
Don't give me that look, Katsuki, she silently begged as she stepped back and rejoined her friends. Don't make me want you here in front of everyone…
"Let's dance!" Mina suggested, oblivious to Aisla's inappropriate thoughts. She took Aisla's and Ochaco's hands in each of hers and pulled them toward the dance floor. Kyoka was still talking to Kaminari, but Toru, in a sparkling ruby gown, fluttered over to join them, along with Tsu who wore an emerald green dress. She hadn't seen Momo yet, but she suspected the other girl would join them soon.
All the girls started dancing, which immediately made Aisla's smile grow and happiness bubble up inside of her. She felt suddenly light and weightless, as if she was dancing in the air as she and her friends twirled around and laughed joyously. As she turned, she spotted Katsuki on the opposite side of the pool, talking with Kirishima and Kaminari. She could see his pronounced pout as he tried not to get irritated with them, but the expression softened when he noticed her looking at him. He gave her a small smile and a nod as if reassuring her that he was fine.
Aisla danced until her feet started to get sore, then stepped down from the dance floor with the other girls to get some food. They all skipped over to the food tables where most of the boys were stationed, and Aisla gave Katsuki a winning smile. He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
"Are you finally done shaking your ass around?" he commented dryly, but there was a sparkle in his eyes that said he'd appreciated her little show.
She gave him a look of mock offense. "Why Katsuki Bakugo, were you checking out my ass?" He shrugged, and Aisla giggled before giving him a peck on the cheek. "I'm ready to eat now! Dancing made me hungry." As if to emphasize this fact, her stomach gave a loud grumble.
Katsuki laughed and moved toward the food tables, picking up two plates and handing one over to Aisla. "I knew you wouldn't last very long without food."
She ignored the gibe and filled her plate with various food items before turning back to see what Katsuki had on his plate. She laughed at his array of sweets. "You're going to get diabetes with all that sugar!" she teased.
He glanced down at his plate with a frown. "What's wrong with it? This one has oatmeal, I think." He pointed to a disk-shaped dessert with some kind of oat surrounding it, along with about a dozen other random ingredients.
She wrinkled her nose. "I think a few veggies couldn't hurt," she said sweetly.
He pouted but didn't protest as she dropped some raw carrot sticks, broccoli, and celery onto his plate along with some finger sandwiches. "There! Now you have all the necessary food groups!"
His pout deepened. "That carrot is touching my cake," he complained.
"Then call it carrot cake and dig in!" she advised with a grin.
"Aisla~" Mina suddenly trilled next to her, toting her own plate that looked similar to Katsuki's, except that hers also had real food on it. "Come eat with us, please? Your boyfriend won't mind if he really loves you and wants you to be happy!" She smiled widely, but even Aisla could see the slight devious edge there. She was obviously trying to get under Katsuki's skin, but fortunately for everyone present, the boy in question was in a very good mood.
He shrugged. "Go ahead, I'll wait for you here. You can hang out with your friends."
She gave him a grateful smile. "Thanks, love~"
His cheeks heated at the endearment but he said nothing in return as Aisla was dragged away by Mina and the others. Aisla thought about that as her friends chatted around her. Katsuki was so different than he'd been when they first started dating. Back then, he pretty much denied any sort of relationship with her publicly, though he could be convinced to hold her hand once in a while. Now, however, he'd let go of his reservations and was working hard to be as public about his feelings for her as he could. She could tell it still embarrassed him, but he didn't seem nearly as afraid as he used to.
What happens when we go back to school? she wondered as she bit into a carrot stick. Will you still let me kiss you in the halls and call you sweet names? Or will your embarrassment get the better of you?
No, she decided a moment later, as her gaze caught his once more. I believe you, Katsuki Bakugo. I believe that you want to change; I believe that you want to be mine.
A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR HOW LATE I AM THIS WEEK GUYS! I started a third job and I've been super busy! I still have chapters backed up, but I haven't had time to sit down and post. So sorry! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter anyway!
Reviews:
Coldicyblueeyes: Aww you're so sweet to say that! It makes me feel so humbled when someone is excited about a new chapter!
Kibaschick: He does! Get your act together, Shoto! Akina is probably just as smokin as Aisla. Give the girl a chance.